Document processing systems and methods used in producing personalized cards and other personalized documents have been employed by institutions that issue such documents. Identity documents, which are often personalized by such systems and methods, include plastic and composite cards, for instance financial (e.g. credit and debit) cards, drivers' licenses, national identification cards, and other cards and documents, such as passports, which are personalized with information unique to the intended document holder.
Document processing systems can be designed for relatively small scale, individual document personalization and production. In these systems, a single document to be personalized is input into a processing machine, which typically includes one or two personalization/processing capabilities, such as printing and laminating. These processing machines are often termed desktop processing machines because they have a relatively small footprint intended to permit the processing machine to reside on a desktop. Many examples of desktop processing machines are known, such as the SD or SP family of desktop card printers available from DataCard Corporation of Minnetonka, Minn. Other examples of desktop processing machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,434,728 and 7,398,972, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
For large volume batch production of personalized documents, institutions often utilize systems that employ multiple processing stations or modules to process multiple documents at the same time to reduce the overall per document processing time. Examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,825,054, 5,266,781 and its progeny, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,783,067, and 6,902,107, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. As with desktop document processing machines, batch processing systems also include printing and laminating capabilities.
Some processing operations in these systems or machines, however, may produce undesired bowing effects in a document. That is, a bend may occur in the document as a result of the processing operation(s) performed on the document. Particularly, this bowing problem can occur as a result of heat lamination of the document and other heat transfer operations that, when performed, may create a bow or bend in the document.
One technique for de-bowing personalized cards is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,784,700.